No, it is not the beginning of an invasion of stone animals, but one of Cardiff’s most beloved attractions! :)

Another of Mr. William Burges’ architectural wonders, though completed by his successor as the 3rd Marquess of Bute’s architect, William Frame, this bridge was completed in 1892 and originally ran along the length of Cardiff Castle’s southern wall, and was decorated with nine stone-carved animals with glass eyes. By 1918, traffic across the bridge had become heavily congested, and in a bid to ease the situation the Castle and Duke Street were expanded. To accommodate this, the whole wall was moved west, and given the capacity for expansion, six new animals were added, bringing the total up to 15. These new six were not given glass eyes, and so the part of the bridge which was expanded can be easily identified in this way.

Among these 15 animals include, but are not limited to, the bear you see pictured here, a lynx, an anteater, a pair of raccoons, and a seal. Each carving was presented to the Marquess of Bute for his approval, and we are aware that two designs (one of which was a seahorse) were rejected. Still, I think that the other 15 are pleasant enough, and I encourage you to look up the rest!

Hope you enjoy!